Chapter 395: Luring the Queen into the Trap
The heat billowing from the massive nostrils quickly condensed into white mist in the freezing air, and the snow beneath its talons rapidly melted into slush under the dragon's radiating body heat. The dragon shifted its front claws and hind legs to find a comfortable position, turning its head to watch the group of black-clad men walking toward it across the snow with wary eyes. Its rider, remaining cautious, did not dismount—ensuring a swift takeoff should any threat be sensed.
Once bitten, twice shy. Daenerys, who had once broken into a cold sweat after being nearly sniped by a scorpion while parading her dragons over King's Landing, had learned through personal experience: dragons were grand enough, but they were not invincible if the enemy was prepared.
Standing before the dragon, Egger was thoroughly shocked by the size of an adult specimen. Eyes the size of his own head, a maw capable of swallowing a horse whole, and scales that, if plucked, would be larger than his palm. Already gargantuan, the beast had chosen to land atop a mound, forcing the group to crane their necks to see Daenerys Targaryen sitting atop its back—looking like a goddess descended to the mortal realm, high and inviolable.
Every legend must have a source. Standing before a dragon and looking up at a dragon rider, anyone would immediately understand why members of House Targaryen were widely considered closer to the gods than to mortal men.
He halted several meters away from the dragon at the base of the mound. As an ordinary man, he could not—and had no need to—suppress his primal fear of such a colossus.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty. As Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, I welcome you to the Gift!"
"It is good that you are here. Otherwise, I would have worried about whom to ask for the Lord Commander's whereabouts after scaring everyone away." Daenerys had simply picked an open spot unlikely to harbor an ambush to land; she hadn't expected to choose so correctly. She was satisfied with this vantage point and the look of trepidation on Egger's face, making her wonder if she should have brought out the dragons to show him sooner back at Dragonstone—perhaps then, the Night's Watch would already be standing behind her. "You may come closer. As long as you make no hostile move toward me, Drogon does not eat people."
"No, Your Majesty," Egger politely declined. "I trust your dragon is well-trained, but I can hear you perfectly well from here."
It was just like dog owners saying, My dog doesn't bite. If something actually happened, it was still just a dog. Being bitten by a dog only meant a few rounds of vaccines and suing the owner; being bitten by a dragon left one wondering if there would even be a corpse to bury. Egger lacked the blood of the dragon; showing off was the thing he hated most.
"As you wish." Daenerys did not waste any more words. In stark contrast to the friendliness of their last meeting, she looked down at Egger with a cold expression. "The Lord Commander sent me half a book last time; I liked it very much. You left a note saying the complete version was in the Night's Watch library. Now I have come for it. Find the book and hand it over to me. In return, you have my word: the Night's Watch industrial park outside King's Landing will not suffer any form of attack from House Targaryen."
Nearly ten meters away, the heat radiating from the black dragon still baked Egger's face, reminding him of Melisandre's magical body temperature. The two were similar, though the former was a thousand times stronger than the latter. The dragons possess a body temperature nearly unbearable for ordinary people, Egger noted silently. Without the true blood of the dragon to adapt to the heat, an ordinary person would find it difficult to ride one for long, even if accepted by the beast.
"Your Majesty, I am certain I stated in my letter: that book is ancient and weathered, unable to withstand long-distance transport. It can only be read on-site." Egger firmly suppressed his fear of the dragon and the strange attraction Daenerys exerted—a dual trial—and replied with cautious courtesy. "The library of the Night's Watch is always open to Your Majesty. You may come to read at any time and under any circumstances. I swear by all the gods in this world to ensure your personal safety within Queenscrown."
Daenerys had not missed the description in Egger's letter; she was merely testing him, hoping it was just a pretext. Now, with the Lord Commander insisting on his claim, she faced a choice: risk dismounting to enter Queenscrown, or tear off the mask of civility and demand he produce the book?
What if the Lord Commander was telling the truth? If such a work—one so much to her taste—were destroyed by unnecessary transport, would it not be a tragic waste?
Staring intently at Egger's face from the dragon's back, Daenerys struggled internally for a moment before finally sighing and yielding to the voice in her heart. She made the move to dismount. "Lord Commander, I must warn you beforehand: if anything happens to me in this town, whether you planned it or not, my three children will turn this place to ash."
At least she knows to speak the ugly truth first. This little Queen might be willful and bold, but she wasn't a total hothead.
Egger breathed a sigh of relief. That decaying and fragile work didn't exist at all, and he hadn't even started writing Volume II. If Daenerys forced him to produce the book now, he truly wouldn't know what to do. Admit to a dragon-riding Queen that he had lied to her? Egger knew how to spell the word death. But as long as Daenerys dismounted and entered his castle, he would hold the absolute initiative. Even if she became angry later, she would have to listen to his explanation.
"I will protect your safety at all costs."
He wasn't sure what signal she gave, but the black dragon crouched down before the crowd, skillfully using the joints of its wings and its side to form a staircase, allowing Daenerys to step down onto the mound.
Once her safety was ensured, Drogon let out a blast of hot breath, reared his head, spread his wings, and kicked off the ground. Amidst the gale created by his wings, he ascended into the sky to join his two siblings circling nearby.
Likely wanting to avoid wearing matching outfits with the Night's Watch again, Daenerys had changed into a pearl-white, slim-fitting winter ensemble today. Her robe was white, her trousers were white, and even her gloves and pointed lady's boots were white. Yet, even without dark clothing for contrast, her skin appeared smooth and ivory-pale. Her exquisite face seemed to be viewed through a heavy filter and professional lighting, her violet eyes like gemstones and her long hair like molten silver. Paired with her intentionally cold expression, it was a different kind of Ice Beauty compared to the friendly, smiling woman at Dragonstone—even more breathtaking. Egger faintly heard the guards behind him inhaling and swallowing hard.
The little Queen slowly stepped down the slope under everyone's gaze, her movements elegant and measured, as if intentionally making people wait for her. It wasn't out of malice; partly her legs were numb from riding, and partly the footing was off. This mound Drogon had landed on only looked like a hill because it was covered in snow; in reality, it was a slag heap left over from the industrial zone of Queenscrown. It looked normal, but it wasn't as stable as it appeared. Daenerys tried to remain cautious, but as she reached the bottom, a small mishap occurred: she stepped on and crushed a large piece of slag, losing her balance for a moment and stumbling.
It wasn't serious, and she wouldn't have fallen, but Egger couldn't help but reach out to steady her. The moment their skin touched, the strange attraction Egger had been feeling spiked to a terrifying degree. He had to use every ounce of self-control to let go before she noticed anything odd. In those few seconds, he had almost found it impossible to let the Queen go, even feeling a dark impulse to imprison her in Queenscrown as a personal plaything.
"Careful, Your Majesty. This is not like the South." Egger suppressed the turmoil in his heart and turned to take a tray from a guard. "Please, accept the hospitality of Queenscrown."
On the tray were small pastries and snacks, originally prepared for the two young ladies from Winterfell to snack on during the tournament. They served perfectly now to lower the Dragon Queen's guard. In Westeros, there was a thousand-year-old tradition, a sacred law observed by all Seven Kingdoms: when a guest comes under a host's roof, once they have accepted hospitality, neither side may harm the other for the duration of the visit. To break this is to violate sacred law, earn the scorn of the world, and be forsaken by the gods, old and new. This was the Guest Right.
Strictly speaking, Egger should have prepared bread and salt, but sending someone to the kitchen now would be improper. Fortunately, these pastries contained both flour and salt, which was a close enough interpretation.
Daenerys blinked in surprise. Despite claiming to be the lawful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, this was the first time since returning to Westeros that she had entered someone's home as a guest. Facing this sudden tray of snacks, she almost instinctively said she wasn't hungry. After a moment, she realized the significance, removed her glove, picked a piece at random, and placed it in her mouth.
After chewing and swallowing, the Queen's cold expression softened.
She had been stony-faced partly due to the fatigue of her long journey, and partly to vent her frustration over having her olive branch snubbed by Egger last time. But one does not strike a smiling face; she harbored no true ill-will toward Egger, and he had just steadied her when she slipped. Now that she had accepted hospitality and become a guest, continuing to scowl would be foolish.
"Very well, Lord Commander. Lead the way."
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